Life is Easier If You're Handsome novel Chapter 16

I was dumbfounded.

What just happened? What was that?

It felt like I had lived another life for a moment. My mind couldn’t fully comprehend it, but my body had absorbed the experience completely.

‘Did I momentarily become Lee Jae?’

Lee Jae, a boy obsessively fixated on talent—I had completely immersed myself in his life and then snapped back to reality.

‘What in the world is going on?’

The strange thing was that, despite having such an intense experience, I felt no aftereffects. Typically, method acting leaves residual emotions that are hard to shake off, but I didn’t feel any of that. It was as if I had consumed the essence and discarded everything else.

Flip, flip.

How far had I immersed myself? Upon checking, I realized I had only covered a section clipped off—roughly one episode's worth of material.

‘I’ve got scripts up to episode 5.’

That left only one thing to do.

"Immersion."

+++++

On the day of the script reading, the set was bustling around a rectangular table.

"Move quickly! We have so many people, why is the setup taking so long?!" "Yes, sir!"

The first script reading wasn’t being filmed for a behind-the-scenes feature, which actually made the atmosphere even more tense. Since the event wasn’t exposed to the public, it was more fierce and cutthroat. No need to put on airs, which led to more aggressive behavior.

As a result, the lower-level staff were having a hard time. They had been up since dawn and hadn’t even had time to eat.

Still, the reason for this intensity was understandable. Since it was the first script reading, a sharp tension between the actors was inevitable. Thorough preparation outside the script was essential.

This was especially true for High Dream, where the tension was bound to be even higher because several agencies were involved. If it were simply a gathering of actors, it would just be a competition of acting skills. However, this was a reading involving KBC, ST Entertainment, and Fullady, creating a subtle competitive atmosphere.

Who would perform the best?

However, there was one group that wasn’t getting much attention in this competitive landscape: KBC.

Even though the script reading was taking place at KBC, no one thought KBC would come out on top in this scenario.

The reason was simple: KBC only had one actor, and it was revealed that this actor wasn’t even experienced.

"They really chose just one out of 3,000 people?" "Well, it wasn’t really 3,000; in the application phase, there were tens of thousands." "And the one who beat those odds is fourteen years old? That’s unbelievable." "Yeah, I really don’t get what the higher-ups were thinking."

The idea of hiring a veteran actor wasn’t enough, yet they chose a fourteen-year-old they had seen for the first time.

There were rumors that this kid was extraordinary, but most people were still skeptical. Even if you hadn’t seen him yet, sometimes you could just tell.

The staff made small talk while subtly keeping an eye on the time. There were about two hours left until the script reading, just enough time to finish preparations if they hustled.

Grumble.

But I’m so hungry.

If only there were some kimbap, I could nibble on it while working. That thought had barely crossed my mind when—

"Wait?"

A strong whiff of sesame oil wafted from somewhere. My extremely empty stomach locked onto the source of the scent.

‘It’s getting closer.’

But who’s bringing it? As far as I remembered, no one was supposed to come.

And then, as the kimbap—and the face of the stranger bringing it—slowly came into view—

"Wow... what the heck?"

I couldn’t help but be amazed.

He wasn’t that tall. At most, maybe 174 cm. But the ratio of his features, and the face those proportions supported, was unreal.

Like a perfectly crafted Christmas tree with a diamond star on top, his appearance was dazzling, as if God had worked extra hard on his sculpture and accidentally dropped it on Earth.

I had seen countless faces while working at the broadcasting station, but this one was undoubtedly number one. He looked like a high school freshman, but the potential radiating from him was insane.

At the same time, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. A face like that, just delivering kimbap?

‘Forget about that fourteen-year-old; shouldn’t we be casting this guy?’

While all the staff were having similar thoughts, the kimbap delivery boy politely bowed and introduced himself.

"Hello! I’m Kim Dong-hoo, playing the role of Lee Jae in this script reading. I’ve brought some kimbap and coffee as a small token of appreciation for all your hard work."

As soon as Kim Dong-hoo—no, not the kimbap delivery boy, but Kim Dong-hoo—finished speaking, everyone’s eyes widened. They all thought the same thing at that moment.

The higher-ups really know how to pick people, don’t they?

"Wait, is this tuna kimbap?!"

Someone’s exclamation left everyone in shock.

Not only had he brought kimbap, but it was tuna kimbap? As soon as they heard that, Kim Dong-hoo spoke again.

"Oh, and I made sure to leave out the cucumber for those who don’t like it."

+++++

My dad, Kim Jung-ryeol, always said:

"The youngest one should show up to work early, and it’ll never hurt."

"Son, listen. You’re only there because of the people working on set. So, always make a good impression on them."

Making a good impression isn’t that hard. Just greet them well, say ‘thank you,’ and if you can, offer them something small, like coffee or kimbap.

If you do that, you’ll leave a lasting positive impression, and no matter what you do, you won’t be disliked.

So, as my father’s son, I faithfully carried out his advice.

"Dong-hoo! Kim Dong-hoo! Ah, my boy! You’re always doing the sweetest things!"

PD Kim Young-mo’s grin stretched up to his ears as he rushed over to hug me the moment he heard I had arrived.

"I’ll never let you go! Never again, Dong-hoo! Let’s stick together for life!"

Honestly, the reaction was way better than I had anticipated.

"I haven’t even done anything yet; you’re making me nervous with all this praise." "You don’t need to do anything! Just doing something like this is already amazing!"

At PD Kim Young-mo’s words, everyone around nodded in agreement.

‘She’s fourteen, too. I can’t believe she made it into High Dream.’

Suddenly, I remembered the cast of High Dream from my past life. Kim Soo-jin definitely wasn’t part of it.

‘Who is he?’ ‘He’s the one who beat the odds to win the KBC audition, huh? He is really handsome.’ ‘Does Kim Yu-ryeon know him? So he’s not a complete unknown after all?’

The lead actors of High Dream, who played the students, were relatively new to the industry, so their reading felt a bit awkward.

Especially actor Jang Geon-ho, who was playing the principal in High Dream. Having started his career in a theater troupe, he took great pride in his acting. He was especially irritated by the underprepared rookies at this first script reading.